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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26137735">Rain and Hopes</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Syalalabumbum/pseuds/Syalalabumbum'>Syalalabumbum</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Naruto</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, M/M, camoes of other characters, maybe some random ocs</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-08</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 10:20:34</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>14,689</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26137735</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Syalalabumbum/pseuds/Syalalabumbum</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>“That is impossible.” Kakashi grunts under his breath, forcing himself to stand. The last time the weapon was seen was  in the hands of Madara Uchiha who is supposedly dead. 'Who are you', Kakashi wants to ask, but the moment the man turns around, his mask slowly unraveling his face, Kakashi feels his breath hitch in his throat. The ringing in his ears is louder than before. </p><p>He can hear nothing. </p><p>Not even his own voice as he calls out the name he never thought he would ever be able to.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Hatake Kakashi/Uchiha Obito</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>34</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>144</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Nightmares</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>T/W: subtle mention of self-harm</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>‘…I’ll become your eye and…see the future…for you.’</em>
</p><p>A throbbing sensation akin to a working heart and his vision becoming crystal clear- these are the main signs of his left eye coming to live. He can see the rough outline of the enemy’s chakra as they accumulate it into their hand before they attack him. From the way their muscles tense and relax in order to form an attack or defense stance, he can predict what they will do seconds before it happens.</p><p>
  <strong> <em>*Clang*</em> </strong>
</p><p>The sound of metal coming into contact with one another echoes in the forest. The enemy before him flickers away and reappears at his side to which Kakashi instantly respond by bringing his arm guard up, deflecting the attack. He follows up by swinging a kick into the enemy’s side (successfully kicking them into a tree) and hurries to where the enemy lands before running his sword through their chest. The other two that were on standby on a tree leap towards him, throwing chains of kunai and forming seals with their hands, however Kakashi was quicker. He too forms a seal and summons an earth wall by placing his palms onto the ground.</p><p>The wall then shatters into rubbles from the impact of the explosive kunai. Kakashi uses the smoke from the explosion to strike one of them down and locks the other by the neck before a satisfying crack sounds. The two bodies drop like lifeless mannequins onto the ground. He sighs, wiping away the blood that got into his eyes through the mask holes and quickly covers his left eye before rummaging through the bodies.</p><p>            “Team Leader.” A familiar voice calls from behind.</p><p>            “Oh, you’re here.” Kakashi monotonously greets back, grunting as he rolls the first body over and unhooking a small bag from the waist. “Got it.” He motions to the scroll in his hand as he looks over his shoulder. “That’s great. You’re all here.”</p><p>            “We didn’t expect there to be more than three of them.” One of his teammates speaks up, sounding rather apologetic as he hands Kakashi another scroll. “We will clean this up.” He offers, talking about the dead bodies lying messily on the ground here and at another near location.</p><p>            “We’ll meet at the office then.” Kakashi says and motions at Tenzo to follow him before they both flicker into the air, leaving behind three of their teammates who then proceed to pick up the dead bodies. By the time they reach the village, the sky is already of amber glow with a mix of orange and yellow. They waste no time by stopping by the Hokage’s office to hand over the retrieved scrolls and to explain what they discover during the mission before getting attacked by shinobis from a neighbouring village.</p><p>            “You are certain it was <em>him</em>?” The Hokage asks, his voice laced with confusion yet sternness.</p><p>            “Yes, Lord Third.” Tenzo answers, unhesitant.</p><p>            “Hmm..” The elder grunts. “I understand. You may go.” He says, sending the two shinobi away before turning to his assistant. “Summon Asuma and Hayate.” He orders, leaning in his seat with a disgruntled expression.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <strong>Ω </strong>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>            “Let’s have ramen.” Tenzo excitedly suggests as he puts his uniform and equipment away. He is already imagining the taste of the broth enveloping his taste buds. </p><p>Kakashi flatly hums as he slowly takes his hound mask off and hangs it in the locker. He momentarily stares at it, fidgeting uncomfortably when he senses eyes glued on him from the side. He awkwardly glances to the source and sees Tenzo staring at him silently. The latter’s large and unwavering eyes reflect no emotions sparing Kakashi no chance to figure out what’s going on in his head.  </p><p>            “What-what is it...” Kakashi squeaks, furrowing his eyebrows when Tenzo just hums with his eyes flitting from Kakashi’s face to the floor before he finally turns back to his locker, rummaging through it for his shirt.</p><p>Concurrently, the rest of their teammates finally return and the locker room is filled with tired sighs and stomach grumbling from hunger. They all head for Ichiraku Ramen where the owner lets out a hearty laugh as he welcomes them, enjoying the full house. They talk about their plans for tomorrow (if they have no other missions) and one of them suggests going to a waterfall where he can relax and enjoy the amazing view of women in their bikinis only to be smacked in the head by the only girl in their team, Uzuki who just arrived.</p><p>Kakashi smiles behind the mask at the sight before him. They are only this loud after they have completed their missions. When it comes to joining Anbu, the only time you can loosen up and be yourself is once you take the uniform off and is in the streets of Konoha. However, for Kakashi, there is not much of a difference between being in and out of the uniform. He cannot afford to ‘loosen up’. Not even a minute. He refuses to be careless. Kakashi excuses himself after quickly finishing his food. Tenzo tries to join him, but he tells the younger male that he is not heading home yet as he has somewhere to be. He ruffles Tenzo’s hair and leaves.</p><p>Kakashi looks up and sees that the sky has turned into an ocean of blackness. The crescent moon is shyly hiding behind grey clouds that are barely as visible as the stars it conceals. At this time of the night, families would usually be sitting at the dinner table and talk about how their day went, what their plans are for tomorrow. He stops in his track when he sees two elders with their eyebrows furrowed sitting at a table outside a small bar as they compete in Shogi with bottles of empty sake at their side. How long have they been on it?</p><p>The street to the cemetery gradually gets darker with barely little light illuminating the way and around it. He stands at the stairs and looks around, ensuring that there is no one else at the cemetery ground before heading to a specific tombstone. A sigh escapes from him as he crouches in front of the tombstone. Kakashi brushes away dead leaves and tiny pebbles that made their way on it.</p><p>‘<em>Rin Nohara’ </em>The stone reads. He stares at it wordlessly. The wilting flower in a small vase at each side of the stone meekly flutter as a breeze pass and Kakashi makes a mental note to himself to bring fresh ones tomorrow. ‘<em>Rin...sorry for not visiting this morning...and the mornings before. I was on a mission. It took us a while to retrieve the documents...</em>’ He rubs the back of his neck, wondering if people would think he is crazy for talking to himself. It is not as if he is doing it verbally either. People would just think he is staring. But...huh. He wonders if Rin can hear him. A sudden throbbing in his temples makes him grunt and he puts a hand over his left eye, sighing for the umpteenth time.</p><p>            “I’ll bring new flowers for you tomorrow.” He says out loud and stands.</p><p>There is one more place he needs to go.</p><p>The trees surrounding the memorial stone sway to the wind, the leaves whispering and branches entangling with one another. The aroma of earth and grass is stronger in the night. Kakashi stands before the marble memorial stone, his eyes trained on a name amongst many others- Obito Uchiha. He does the same as he did with Rin; apologizing for not visiting. The only difference is that he says everything out loud as if to purposely startle Obito awake from his <em>deep sleep</em>. There is a small part of him on the inside that thinks if he does so, Obito would somehow reappear before him. Childish, huh? He also tells Obito of the journey he had during the mission; of how difficult it was to retrieve the documents, who was behind the plan and the whys.</p><p>All of a sudden, a crushing pain on the left side of his head comes and goes like a tidal wave. It is painful and he has no clue why. Did he hit his head during the mission? No, he does not remember that happening. Maybe it is because he has not been getting enough sleep due to the mission he just completed- but it was <em>only</em> for three days which is nothing. He has been on missions that lasted longer than that. Warmth spreads down to his neck and at the very moment, a glitching image appears in his head.</p><p>Kakashi gasps, grasping the headband over his left eye. There was something. “Urgh-“ He grunts. The glitching image reappears and he sees a person in it- a man. The third time it reappears, he sees the man stumbling on their feet as they grab their face and for some reason, the image of that grows closer as if something is running towards him. A chill runs up his back and he swiftly pulls out kunai, throwing it to his left. The kunai slices through the air and into the darkness between the trees. Kakashi’s hand drops to his side as he tries to recollect what he just saw. His gear in his head turns and he feels a lump in his throat. The image he just saw is an image of himself, but from a different perspective- it is as if he is seeing himself through someone else’s eyes.</p><p>He runs into the trees, towards the direction of his thrown kunai. Something glints on one of the trees and he stops before it, feeling frustrated that his weapon landed into a tree. He pulls it out and looks around him, his left eye twitching the slightest bit. The throbbing from earlier is gradually going away and his head feels light, as if a heavy weight is lifted. The image no longer appears in his head. Refusing to leave without a closure, Kakashi runs through the trees and area around the memorial stone a couple of times before he gives up due to the fact that it is late in the night and he sees no one, not even a hint or trail that someone is here.</p><p>As he retreats home, he assumes it might just be due to exhaustion. His eye has been acting rather weirdly the past three days after all, and now that he thinks back, when he was at the memorial stone, he did not pick up any chakra or energy around him.</p><p>That night, he dreams of the three of them- him, Rin and Obito -walking to the infamous ramen stall after their training. Obito argues with him non-stop on how he could have dodged Kakashi’s kick if it is not for the rock under his feet which causes him to slip. Kakashi uninterestedly responds with a ‘yeah, yeah, yeah’ so that Obito would just shut up, but it only aggravates the latter more and they end up fighting in the middle of the street. Right before he throws a punch in Obito’s face, Rin intervenes and the scene cuts to one that has been haunting him for so many years.</p><p>‘<em>Kakashi...’ </em>He hear his name being called and can hear the sound of his rapid yet shallow breath in the darkness which gradually clears up. His heart drops as he sees his hand buried deep into someone’s chest with blood spluttering from the wound and dripping down his forearm- the scene so terrifyingly familiar. As the darkness fades, his sight clears up and he sees Rin before him, her lips moving- calling his name; ‘<em>Kakashi.’ </em>He feels sweat drenches his skin, his ears ringing, the thumping sound of his heart against his chest and the warmth that spreads in his right hand to which he frantically looks at before his eyes are trained at the sight before him. Tears pool in his eyes as he croaks out the name of the girl before him, but he cannot hear himself. A blinding blue light appears from his right hand, the light thrashing about uncontrollably resembling a lightning as it screeches. He gasps as she reaches out her hand for his face and yells out his name.</p><p>
  <em>‘Kakashi!’</em>
</p><p>The loud thunder from outside jolts him awake and he sits up so fast, everything around him spins. He is breathing hard and drenched in sweat. His whole body is shaking and he does not know if it is from the wind that is coming in through the gap of the window he probably forgot to close, because of his sweat or both. Kakashi swallows his saliva thickly as he hugs his right hand to his chest and gets up. The bathroom door creaks open and he stumbles to the sink. A single streak of light flashes from outside through the small window above the mirror illuminating his face for a mere second.</p><p>He looks horrible.</p><p>The faucet in the washroom squeals and water gurgles out of it wetting the ceramic sink. He cups the cold water in his hands and splashes it onto his face hoping that it could ease the throbbing in his left eye. “Huffs, huffs,” Kakashi gasps</p><p>Rin’s voice from his dream resounds in his head and he retches, the act causing his abdomen to convulse. Nothing but dry heaves come out. He stares at his right hand gripping the sink and wordlessly puts it under the running water. He scrubs at his skin, the act gradually grows harsher with his nails being dragged back and forth replacing the healing wound from the previous cleaning act with new streaks of lines. </p><p>
  <em>‘Kakashi.’</em>
</p><p>The sound of an unfamiliar voice calling his name instantly stops him in the act. He looks up but doesn’t turn his head the moment he sees a silhouette from the corner of his eye. He stands there, frozen, a droplet of sweat rolling down to his jaw. There is nothing around him that he can use as a weapon. He is certain that the very moment he tries to move, the other person would immediately charge towards him. What is he supposed to do- what can he do? His mind is all muddled from the remnants of his dream and the pain from scrubbing his hand that only arising now makes it difficult for him to even think of a plan.</p><p>He takes a deep breath to recompose himself. Looking back to the mirror, he sees a shadow behind him and immediately twists his body around, his right leg raised as he tries to go for a kick. His hand reaches out for the door, slamming it close before he instantly pull both his arm up to guard him for whatever attack that comes from the other person in the hallway. Instead, his foot is met with nothing but air and there is no impact or anything on his arms either. ‘<em>I must be out of my mind’</em> Kakashi thinks as he looks around the bathroom to find no one but himself. He pulls out the metal pole from the shower curtain and walks to the door. He takes a deep breath and slowly opens the door, peeking through the small gap before slamming it open, putting the metal pole in front of him in a defensive stance.</p><p>There is no one. First at the memorial stone and now this.</p><p>There is something wrong with him.</p><p>Albeit seeing and sensing no one, Kakashi still searches the house just for safety sake and after unsuccessfully finding nothing he returns to bed, wrapping himself up in his duvet and curls up. He can feel himself shaking, but tries to ignore it. <em>‘It’s probably from the adrenaline.’</em> He convinces himself. He ignores the stinging sensation in his hand. He is numb to pain. It has become a part of him. His past has etched itself onto his very being and it numbs whatever senses Kakashi has left. He is merely gripping onto the very last string of sanity he has. He can do nothing but to live- to survive in this bleak world. It would be easier to just die, huh? People would think so, but Kakashi does not deserve a simple death, nor an honourable one. He does not deserve anything. There is nothing for him.</p><p>With shuts his eyes tightly, he just hopes that he would fall back to sleep and the night passes quickly. </p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Memories of Us</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>            “Kakashi.”                    </p><p>A shadow looms over him and his eye flutter open to see a man attired in green vest and jumpsuit. The very familiar thick eyebrows and nose so big it can hide Kakashi’s mere existence makes him grunt unappreciatively.</p><p>            “Guy.”</p><p>          “Why are you here wasting your time doing nothing?!” The man before him huffs, slicing his hand into the air and doing all those intricate moves. If this was a cartoon, there would be steam coming out of his nostrils and his face would be painted in red. Sometimes, Kakashi wonders if Guy isn’t a made-up person. Like, made out of a jutsu, a lab or something. It is impossible for someone to look so ridiculous- whatnot with that jet-black hair of his styled in a bowl cut paired the ridiculous green coloured uniform. Guy should really reconsider his styling.</p><p>He looks like a 10 years old kid had drawn him and brought him to life. </p><p>Kakashi sighs, patting the dirt off himself as he gets up. He stretches his arms above him and a satisfying crack sounds before he takes a deep breath. Guy says something about wanting to see who is the fastest and can reach the top of the Hokage Mountain first through a race, but Kakashi mutes him into the background and instead brings forward the thought of what he should have for dinner. After last night’s odd event, he did not have an appetite in the morning and thus, left his home with an empty stomach. It is only until noon comes does he finally feel the hunger settle in.</p><p>            “Kakashi-“</p><p>
  <em>Soba or udon sounds good…</em>
</p><p>            “Oi, Kakashi-“</p><p>
  <em>Hmmm...but I had ramen last night. Maybe I should have teishoku* instead? </em>
</p><p>           “Kakashi!” Guy’s voice roared from behind, snapping Kakashi from his train of thoughts. He turns and sees the man before him with his arms folded and his right foot tapping aggressively against the ground. He looks like a bull, Kakashi thinks. Clearing his throat, he scratches the back of his head as he flashes a sheepy smile- not like Guy can see it clearly since his mask covers the lower half of his face anyway.</p><p>            “Sorry, did you say something?”</p><p>            “I was talking so enthusiastically about our last race! Did you remember? I had beaten you at it! And we made a bet that loser would buy the other lunch!”</p><p>Holy fuck. The way Guy talks- or rather, shout, is so deafening that he swears the latter’s voice can be heard miles away. He sticks a finger into his ear and twist it, pretending to clear whatever dirt is blocking his hearing. “From what I remember,” He sighs. “You lost. I reached the end first.”</p><p>            “No, you didn’t! My left foot touched the line first!” Guy argues, the veins in his neck threatening to pop if Kakashi refuses to admit he lost one more time.</p><p>The thing is, he did not lose. Though, he did not win either. In fact, none of them won. “Well, I don’t remember you winning either. Did you remember? The line you stepped on wasn’t the finishing line. It was something drawn for maintenance on the mountain.” Kakashi quickly explains, cutting Guy off who stands frozen with his mouth agape.</p><p>The way Kakashi can see how Guy’s brain is wrecking as it tries to remember the event is funny. He has never met anyone as cartoonish as Guy.</p><p>            “Oh.” Guy finally says and quickly recomposes himself. He smiles haughtily and chuckles, flipping his bangs away from his eyes. “My, my. My mind must have been confused from all the missions I was assigned to. Well, I can’t help it-“</p><p>Refusing to hear anything else, Kakashi walks away with Guy continuing to talk- oblivious to Kakashi’s departure from the scene. By the time he is done, the former is nowhere to be seen and Guy groans at the fact he allowed Kakashi to slip away from listening to his magnificent story on how the last two missions he went on was, apparently, so hard he believed Kakashi would have had trouble with it as well. He believes the only reason it went well was because of him. Keeping that belief to himself, Guy hums and chases after Kakashi so he can drag the man to a BBQ House where he can finally brag about what he had gone through in the last mission.</p><p>The sound of meat sizzling in their own fat on the grill, filling the house with a smell that makes him salivate in seconds. His stomach growl every minute and he holds the chopsticks in between his fingers, patiently waiting for the moment the meat slice is cooked. Guy’s mouth has been moving nonstop ever since they sat, talking about how the last mission involved running to the rescue of a group of shinobi getting attacked after leaving Konoha and how he and his team rushed over to them to help. The BBQ house is packed with customers-the sound of utensils clinking, voices piling one over the other and boisterous laughter filling the small shop.</p><p>Kakashi is momentarily left in a daze as memories of the past, when the four of them- Minato sensei, Obito, Rin and him would visit the shop and have meat after a rough day at training. Every single time, he would be in a heated fight with Obito over who gets the cooked meat pieces and would end up getting reprimanded by Rin while Minato Sensei just watch the whole thing unfold with a silly smile.</p><p>It is unbelievable that happened years ago.</p><p>            “-and guess what?”</p><p>            “Hm?”</p><p>He reaches out for the meat and have it with some rice when Guy suddenly slams the table with his hand, flicks his bangs away and lets out an obnoxious laugh. Kakashi swore if Guy amps up his laugh a bit more, it would bring earthquake to the village. He chews as the bowl-cut haired man continues to laugh to himself, his shoulders shaking the slightest bit before they go full on vibration.</p><p>            “I saved the day. The Mighty Guy, came to their rescue. HAHAHA.” Guy smugly ends his story. Kakashi just looks at the man sitting across him with an ingenuine look of ‘wow, you did save them. Hooray~~’ before putting another slice of meat into his mouth. Unfortunately, just as he is about to take another slice, a familiar face appears near the entrance of the shop, beckoning Kakashi to come out.</p><p>            “I gotta go. Let me know my part.” Kakashi says, implying to the price of the meal as he hurriedly leaves while Guy blinks confusedly, his mouth stuffed with meat and rice.</p><p>They meet each other in an alley where Tenzo quickly explains that the Hokage has something for them. Wasting not even a second, the both of them rushes to the office. When they arrive, the voices behind the door are intangible except for a particular name upon being mentioned: Orochimaru. The door creaks open and he sees someone from ANBU, from another team, inside the office. Kakashi glances over to the other male who does the same before they nod simultaneously, acknowledging each other.</p><p>There is a momentary silence as the Hokage stares at the documents before him, all of them stained with brown and dark red spots- looking similar to dried blood. He sighs and motions at the ANBU member who then proceeds to stand closer to Kakashi and Tenzo. “We found Orochimaru’s new hideout.” The man suddenly says, rolling out a map and pointing at the marked spot on the paper. “This is apparently one of the few hideouts he has.”</p><p>            “He has others?” Kakashi questions, glancing at the Hokage who then exasperatedly hums.  </p><p>            “Apparently so. We caught two of his accomplices in an ambush. One of them did not make it along the way. The other one barely croaked out anything before he died in <em>the </em>room.”</p><p>By <em>the</em> room, the man means the interrogation room. Everyone knows how it is unlikely for someone to leave that space alive, unless they make an oath to the village and the Hokage. “Bring two people from your team there.” The Hokage commands and leans back, his fingers tapping the table mindlessly. “Find out what’s there, bring back whatever is necessary...and eliminate any threats.”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Ω</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The trio glances to their left where the sound of multiple crows cawing simultaneously can be heard. Taichi, the youngest and newest member to the team feels shiver down his spine. His family believes the presence of crows are bad omen and although he doesn’t quite fully believe it, such belief was imbedded in him since young, thus he cannot help but to feel slightly anxious. He turns to Tenzo and Kakashi who are already at the door of the shabby hut with its roof on the verge of collapsing.</p><p>Tenzo carefully pushes the door open and peeks through the gap before walking in while Kakashi waits outside, keeping an eye on the surrounding. They’ve been here for half a day and no one has been coming in nor out of the hut however, that does not eliminate the concern that someone might just be waiting inside for them to enter.</p><p>            “Come in.” He hears Tenzo calls and glances around him one more time before entering. The hut is void of anything but broken chairs and table. There are broken jars and bottles, the glass pieces messily decorating the floor. He sees a dim light coming from the corner where Tenzo is squatting over and walks closer. “Here.” The younger male points.</p><p>It is a trapdoor, scratched and spotted with years of water damage. This place must have been here for a long time for this door to be in this condition. As Tenzo lifts it up, it swells and groans and a sudden breeze of air blows by. What they see next is a flight of stairs going underground, dimly lit by cracked bulbs, flickering. “This is eerily familiar...” Tenzo suddenly speaks, breaking the silence. He is implying the time he worked under Danzo and went to one of Orochimaru’s abandoned labs where he attacked Kakashi for the sharingan. “…don’t you think?”</p><p>            “Yeah.” Kakashi hums, a memory from the past replaying in his mind.</p><p>They come upon a sealed door which Kakashi easily undo. The paper seal drops and the door creaks open revealing a room full of empty tubes lining at the left side and books messily spread on the ground. Numerous scrolls lie by the small shelf and there is a musty stench coming from one side of the room. Kakashi motions at the latter to look at one side while he looks at the other. Some of the scrolls are merely empty papers, while the books are primarily focused on medicine. This place must be one of the abandoned research labs they couldn’t find years ago.</p><p>            “There’s nothing.”</p><p>            “Let’s meet up with Taichi.” Kakashi suggests after flipping through a small book with handwritten medicinal terms and processes. He puts it in his pocket and sticks explosive tags throughout the room, the corridor and lastly the hut itself. Although there is nothing important found, it is still dangerous to let the place stands and destroying it is just a method to avoid anything getting into the wrong hands.</p><p>They quickly climb onto a tree and head to where Taichi is. The boy heaved a sigh of relief at the appearance of his seniors. Once ready, Tenzo immediately forms a seal with his hand and summons a wall of tangled branches engulfing the hut and the perimeter of the underground lab to muffle the sound of explosion and to prevent smoke from escaping for the sake of discretion while Kakashi activates the explosion tags. A soft rumble is heard and through the gaps between the branches, they can see the ground under the hut cracks before fire licks around the hut. The branches then gradually wrap itself tightly around the destroyed lab; the rubbles and ashes buried within it underground and as if nothing happened, trees grow from where the lab was once. With this, people won’t be able to find it and only Tenzo knows.</p><p>            “Let’s go.”</p><p>They swiftly and skillfully leap from one branch to the other, occasionally dropping to the ground before climbing back up to the trees. Every leap is as light as a feather, leaving behind an almost inaudible sound of leaves rustling and branches crunching. The clouds that were wispy, light and white in the morning turns gray and heavy as if it is accumulating water. He hopes that nothing goes awry when it rains.</p><p>Halfway to the village, Taichi suddenly calls for them, his voice sounding alarmed. “We’re being followed.” He whispers to the other two, eyes darting from one corner to the other. A paper bird appears out of nowhere and lands into his palm to which he then crumples and envelops it with fire, burning it into ashes. “Five of them.” He affirms and exchanges glances with the other two before they split it into different directions.</p><p>Kakashi tsk-ed under his breath as he lands at one of the trees. The idea of possibly fighting in the rain is unpleasing as it hinders their movements the slightest bit from how slippery it can be. Their vision is what would mostly be affected though. Before he can even devise a plan in his head, something glints from his left and he brings up his arm guard, deflecting the kunai that was aimed at his face. In seconds, someone appears from his unguarded side, but Kakashi reacts quicker.  He deflects the kick away with his arm and instantly wraps his arm around it pulling the assailant towards him. He pulls out a kunai and clasp it tightly as he brings it down the latter’s leg only to stumble off the tree, when a strong wind hits him head on and a deafening whistle echo painfully in his ears.</p><p>Kakashi drops to his knees the moment he lands and stares at the ground with confusion as his head spins. He vaguely hears footsteps coming and rolls away when the assailant comes for him. He slips on his foot but quickly recomposes himself and holds a kunai in one hand and his sword in the other. The dizziness is gradually fading but the buzzing in his ears is still evidently present.</p><p>Another man arrives, joining the first fellow. They both have a mask on so he cannot make out who they are and where they are from. He throws a kunai to the center which then explodes, separating the two men and throws another at the one on the left before he goes for the man on the right. White sparks fly off the moment their swords come into contact. Punches and kicks are exchanged before Kakashi musters the body replacement jutsu. The log falls to the ground with a thud and at that moment, Kakashi leaps out from a bush, taking the man by surprise, and grabs him by the neck and slams him down before he runs his sword through the chest.</p><p>Similar to the sensation from earlier, he is swept off his feet and lands beside the body from a force he cannot see. “Ugh-“ He heaves, trying to get himself up on his knees. He shakes his head, trying to rid the uncomfortable sensation in his ears. <em>What the hell was that...</em> He grunts. He feels something running down his ear and wipes it away with his hand only to see a red stain on his palm. Blood. His ears are bleeding. Did the attacks earlier have anything to do with the wind? No, if it is the wind, his ears would not be bleeding this badly. <em>I should get to him before he does another one. </em> Kakashi plans, ignoring the pain in his ears and runs for the man in front of him. He then swiftly pulls a kunai out and tries to go for the chest, only for the attacker to block it with his arms. The moment the kunai comes into contact, it breaks into two and Kakashi finds himself getting thrown back, yet again.</p><p>He refuses to fall and grits to his teeth as he spins his body so that he can land himself horizontally against a tree, mustering up a fireball jutsu and blows it towards the man. He lurches himself off towards the latter, successfully landing a punch into the face, throwing him into the ground but before he can finishes the man off, another one suddenly jumps out from behind a tree, firing arrows at him. An explosion erupts from where he is- momentarily blinding the vision of the archer before the smoke and dust clears up to reveal a log with torn explosive tags and arrows stuck on it.</p><p>            “Find him!” Someone yells while Kakashi watches from behind a boulder.</p><p>He waits for a bit longer to ensure that no one is around and gets up when all of a sudden, his vision is blinded with flashing colourful spots. His ears are ringing and the throbbing around his skull is overwhelming. He wonders if this is because of the weird attacks from before. He flinches when something cold comes into contact with his bare arms and looks up. The sky is icy grey and it relentlessly grumbles. Lightning cracks into the sky, a brilliant shock of white and the thunder belatedly booms along, the sound dissipating into the surrounding hills and mountains.</p><p>Grunting, Kakashi snaps himself out of his daze and looks around him before he runs. Every droplets that come into contact with his skin feels like bullets. The ringing in his ears are still present, but at the very least his vision is not doubling- it is just... flowing around like a painting.  He runs, keeping in check of his surroundings. As the sky grow darker and the clouds roll in resembling volcano ashes, the lightning creates patterns in the sky,</p><p>He hears splashing from behind and takes a glance, grunting with displease at the sight of a masked man from before closing in on him. Fine, he will finish this. He uncovers his left eye and takes one big leap before turning around midair to face the man. As they enclose on him, Kakashi quickly forms multiple hand signs; Ox, Rabbit, Monkey, Dragon, Rat, Bird, Ox, Snake, Dog, Tiger, Monkey. ‘<em>Chidori!’ </em>He inwardly summons.</p><p>A brilliant white flash flickers from the palm of his hand, screeching and flaring uncontrollably. However, in that split second, images of an event he refuses to remember floods his mind.</p><p>
  <em>Kakashi</em>
</p><p>He gasps, eyes widening and pupils dilated as the little pieces of an image come together and the very soft familiar voice resounds in his ears.</p><p>
  <em>Kakashi</em>
</p><p>He hears it again and find himself frozen as he sees an image of a girl with blood spluttering from her mouth and chest.</p><p>
  <em>Kakashi!</em>
</p><p>The once gentle and sweet voice turns darker and angrier. A chilling sensation runs down his spine and at that moment, he finds himself frozen in place with an empty hand.</p><p>He receives a blow to his abdomen, sending him skidding across the wet ground. “Ngh-“ He fleetingly looks up and stands. He wields his sword in front of him and a fight breaks out. Every droplet that touches him feels heavier as if the gravity is turned up a notch. He sees something glint from the corner of his eye and leans back trying to avoid it when all of a sudden another one appears from the front, hitting his mask dead on and breaking it into half. The pointy blade grazes his forehead as he ducks. <em>Fuck. Did they call for backup? </em>He inwardly curses, eyes fleeting from one man to the other.</p><p>One of them lurches forward and Kakashi flings the latter’s weapon with his sword, pulling the man by his shirt before kneeing him in the gut. The one with the weird ability runs towards Kakashi and through his left eye, he can see the outline of chakra flowing into the man’s forearms. If Kakashi takes it heads on, he will not survive and he cannot take the risk of them going through his body. With just one option in mind, he readies himself for the end.</p><p>All of a sudden, thick branches appear right in front of Kakashi, coming out of the ground and flailing into the air before forming a sturdy, thick wall. A gust of wind followed by the sound of branches cracking and muffled screams echo in the forest and Kakashi stares at the wall in utter confusion. The tree wall looks similar to Tenzo yet so different.</p><p>It is pale green- almost white in colour unlike Tenzo’s. He carefully looks beyond the the wall and is surprised at the sight of the enemies all impaled into the ground with a thick branch through their chest.</p><p>            “How disappointing Kakashi.” An unfamiliar voice comes from the man standing between the wall and the dead bodies. What catches Kakashi’s eye is the fact that the man is holding a Gunbai, which is notorious for being Madara Uchiha’s weapon.</p><p>            “That is impossible.” Kakashi mutters under his breath.</p><p>The last time the weapon was mentioned and seen was in the hands of Madara Uchiha who is supposedly dead. <em>Who are you, </em>Kakashi wants to ask, but the moment the man turns around, his mask slowly unraveling his face, Kakashi feels his breath hitch in his throat. The ringing in his ears is louder than before. He does not know if it is from his blood rushing to his head or it is because of the attacks earlier. He can hear nothing.</p><p>Not even his own voice as he calls out the name he never thought he would ever be able to.</p><p>
  <em>Obito</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>Ω</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  
</p><p>In the beginning, all he thought of was to avenge Rin’s death. He made a promise with someone; putting trust into the person who he considers to be a friend to protect Rin. To keep her away from danger. That was the least he could ask for. Rin deserves nothing but happiness. She does not belong to the world of shinobi where it is wicked and flawed. Where people claim to fight for the good, yet trample on the dead bodies without a care. Where leaders would do anything to achieve the so-called peace.</p><p>When Madara came to his rescue and nursed him back to life, telling him of his plan to destroy the leaf village and to create a world where everyone lives in harmony, he was intrigued. It would be a lie to say he does not like the idea of a deathless world; where everyone lives peacefully without having to worry about having the possibilities of dying from war erupting as a result of leaders’ arguments and disagreements. A world where the three of them; him, Kakashi and Rin can live together without being harmed.</p><p>He would gift Rin flowers every week, bring her out to the festivals and make her laugh with his dumb jokes. With Kakashi, he would eat ramen, do practices together and maybe occasionally have dinner together at Kakashi’s house. Although they were like cats and dogs in the beginning he enjoys the latter’s presence. In fact, he enjoys the time they spent together (even if they argue most of the time). Kakashi can be ruthless during practices and he doesn’t filter his words, but Obito knows that he is genuinely a good person (all Obito needs to do is understand why Kakashi is behaving so coldly).  </p><p>That night, when he saw Rin dies at the hand of someone he thought he could trust, anger takes over and all he ever think of is to destroy the village. The root of all the problems. Without these useless boarders, arguments and distinctions between the villages, war would not have happened and if it did not, Rin would still be alive. And then, there is Kakashi. Kakashi is supposed to be strong- stronger than him. With his sharingan, Kakashi should have been able to keep Rin safe, so why? Why did he do it? With so much anger and confusion swirling within him, he holds Rin’s body close to him as he stares at Kakashi lying on the ground with shallow breaths and eyes closed.</p><p>Is it the rain or is it real tears he sees running down Kakashi’s cheek?</p><p>The first few weeks since that night, Obito keeps having these dreams where he sees Rin running towards Kakashi. A bright light would engulf Rin’s body the moment Kakashi’s hand touches her and Obito would always wake up with a startle, his breathing heavy and his right eye twitching uncomfortably.  His chest would feel constricted, as if he is at the verge of tears. He still refuses to accept the fact that Kakashi did such a thing and with such belief constantly resurfacing every time he has that dream, the urge to visit the village, the one he once called home, grows stronger. He wants to see how everything is going- whether Rin’s death have any effect on the village or it was meaningless.</p><p>Most of all, to see how Kakashi is doing after what he has done.  </p><p>Obito thought that since Kakashi is strong, surely, he is now part of a strong team and is successfully completing all the missions assigned to him. Surely, he is living his best life surrounded by praises, adoration and love. He is definitely enjoying all of that and has definitely forgotten what he had done.</p><p>But what he sees is totally different.</p><p>Kakashi always wakes up early in the morning. Sometimes he has breakfast, sometimes he does not. He is also apparently a part of an organization called ANBU. Just like when they were kids, he is still very cold to people around him. He does not socialize, he barely talks to his teammates, and when he does, it does not last long. His facial expressions remain the same throughout the day, just like how it was in the past.</p><p>Sometimes Kakashi goes to the river, with a fishing rod in his hand. He would fish until the sun sets when the sky would turn into a muddy orange and yellow and bring home at most two fishes. He then cooks them and eat by himself. Some of his missions would take more than two days and during then, Obito would just walk around the empty large house. It is as empty as the last time he was here and there is no difference to how it was saves for the picture of their team on the table by Kakashi’s bed.</p><p>From then on, his visits grow from being once every two months to every month. At one point, he realizes that he can see some of the things Kakashi is seeing and that for some reason, their eyes are interconnected. He still does not understand how it works and it does not help that there is no recordings or mentioning of this happening in any of the Uchiha clan’s history.</p><p>At one point, he starts doubting that eating, going to missions and then sleeping are the only things Kakashi does. Soon enough, he finds out that the reason Kakashi wakes up so early (even when he has no mission on that day) is that so he can stop by Rin’s grave and the memorial stone where the former’s name is. Initially, he thought Kakashi is doing this just to make himself appear all good and respectful for visiting ‘his precious friends’ but his view on it change when he finds that Kakashi makes his visits every day, without a miss. Sometimes he brings flowers with him, and sometimes just himself. He would sit at Rin’s tomb for fifteen minutes without saying anything, but once he arrives at the memorial stone, he would call out to Obito’s name out loud and tells Obito what he has done for the day.  </p><p>If he has a mission and is unable to make visits in the morning, he would do it the moment he returns. Another thing Obito eventually finds out is that Kakashi has nightmares, especially on nights when it is cold and rain is coming. Obito can guess why, but he refuses to accept the fact that Kakashi is suffering from what happened- in the beginning that is.</p><p>It is like a cycle- the cries in the middle of the night, the harsh hand scrubbings that eventually tears the skin. These acts scream something far more than ‘just a simple guilt’ and ‘pretense’. This is how life has been for Kakashi for the past few years since Rin’s and his death. Seeing all of this unfold before him, leaves a bitter taste in his mouth. He hates that Kakashi was not able to fulfil their promise, but he hates it more that Kakashi is harming himself over something that he had no control over.</p><p>It is a bitter truth, but he knows what happened that night. Those dreams Obito has been getting are not exactly dreams. They are a memory- something he saw the night he ran to save Rin. He saw how Rin suddenly appeared before Kakashi.</p><p>He came to acknowledge what actually happened, but that does not wipe away the anguish he feels over Rin’s death. Call him selfish, but he did think by putting the blame on Kakashi accompanied by a reason that Kakashi just was not strong enough, it helps him focus on healing himself and to get stronger. Believing that Rin’s death could have been avoided if he was stronger than Kakashi helps him a lot.</p><p>But what is the point of getting stronger for someone who is no longer in this world?</p><p>Dissatisfied, Obito returns to Konoha for the first time since Rin’s death. He feels nothing at the sight of seeing Minato’s face on the monument. Although he hated the fact that Kakashi could not save Rin, he hated more that Minato was not there to protect both Rin <em>and </em>Kakashi. The first time he sees Kakashi after all those years is when he sees the silver-haired male sitting in front of Rin’s grave. The latter sits there, unmoving for quite some time before he replaces the flowers at the tomb with fresh ones. When Kakashi leaves, Obito hurries to stop by Rin’s grave before he tries to catch up with the latter.</p><p>What he sees next leaves a lump in his throat.</p><p>            “Obito...”</p><p>He hears the latter calls. The sight of Kakashi sitting in front of Rin’s grave in silence and with a straight expression stirs anger within him, but hearing Kakashi calls his name, his voice laced with what sounds to be sadness clenches his heart. Unfortunately he could not stay longer to hear what Kakashi has to say as Zetsu suddenly appears, beckoning him to return to the cave because Madara has something to tell.</p><p>Since then, he occasionally visits Kakashi whenever he has the time. He follows the silver-haired male from the morning and sometimes throughout his missions till he returns home. It reminds him of the days when he used to follow Kakashi from the academy (he believed it was out of curiosity, but it grew into a habit) to the river and finally home. When he was young, he loved the way Kakashi looks so dependable (to be frank, it makes him look very attractive). He admired his fellow teammate. He also likes the way Kakashi smiles- it only happens around that Tenzo kid unfortunately. Kakashi never laughed at his dumb jokes in the past, but this Tenzo kid appears out of nowhere and can make Kakashi smile by behaving stupidly or cringingly.</p><p><em>How annoying</em> Obito thinks one day as he watches Kakashi smile at something Tenzo says from afar. The more time he spends on watching Kakashi, the more he notices Kakashi’s habits. Every time he leaves and comes home, he would give greetings and goodbyes as if someone will answer him. He likes to put a hand in his pocket. He likes reading this one book that Obito is quite weirded out with because what the fuck is that book about Kakashi? Kakashi never takes off his mask except when he’s home. When Obito saw his uncovered face for the first time, he swears his heart went <strong>bathump </strong>– like how it is described being felt by the girl looking at her lover in the book Kakashi is reading.</p><p>Having that sort of feeling when you look at your friend’s face is pretty normal, right? After all, anyone’s heart would jump at the presence of attractiveness. Yes, he admits Kakashi is very attractive (no wonder Rin likes him). But reacting the same way when your old friend strips himself naked to take a shower is NOT normal. In order to rid the image of naked Kakashi from his mind, Obito stops coming for a while.</p><p>The next time he does, it happens during the night, after the event when his clan was massacred. After the cleanup, instead of heading home, Kakashi heads for the memorial stone. He stands in front of the stone for god knows how long before he finally takes his mask off. Kakashi has a dread look on his face as he loudly questions whether he was not a good leader to allow Itachi Uchiha to go astray.</p><p>The sight before him has Obito clenching his teeth in anger. He has had enough. If getting stronger for someone who is dead is useless, then he will do it for someone who is still alive. Once his plan falls through, Kakashi will be the first person he ‘frees’.</p><p> </p><p>
  <strong> <em>Drip, drip. </em> </strong>
</p><p>The rain begins to fall so thickly that there is an instant sheet of water on the ground. The thunder claps and lightning cracks through the icy gray sky. Obito feels a soft panic grows and fades every second. He was watching from afar- from the moment Kakashi left the village. He was going to let things go as they are but the sight of Kakashi getting beaten up angers him. The very moment he sees Kakashi’s chidori dies down, he knows the male is going to be in trouble. He did not think anything through and jumps in between Kakashi and the shinobi attacking him.</p><p>But now that it has come to this, what should he do? He can just leave- he can easily teleport himself elsewhere but something inside him does not want that. He finds his feet glued to the ground and then he hears the puddle splashing under the weight of someone from behind. He glances over his shoulder and sees a very familiar pair of eyes looking at him- a mixture of confusion and fear. The only sound he can hear is the rain coming into contact with the ground and the thunder rumbling from above.</p><p>            “How disappointing Kakashi.” Obito chuckles, clenching his fists as he makes up his mind. As he turns to face Kakashi, he hesitantly takes his mask off, shivering the slightest bit when the cold droplets wet his skin.</p><p>            “Kakashi.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>o(･´д･｀o)))三(((o´･д｀･)o My brain literally vomited whatever it can think of as I was drifting to sleep.......  Pardon the mistakes, if there is any. </p><p>Comments and feedbacks are welcome. Please be nice I have a soft heart (*⌒∇⌒*)</p><p>p/s: i dont know why the format is so weird ;; i tried fixing but it's doing nothing so bear with it :(</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. A Pair</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The lightning flickering from above leaves a white cast over their faces for mere seconds. Kakashi blinks through the rain, his vision slightly hazy from the headache, but clear enough to see who the man is before him- unless his brain is already fucked up from the attacks. His heart hammers against his chest and blood rushes to his head- the adrenaline pumping making his whole body tremble like a wet dog. </p>
<p>            “Obito...?” He croaks, his breath hitching in his throat as the said man turns to face him.</p>
<p>Before he can utter another word, the sound of branches crunching nearby has them looking away alarmed. Kakashi tries to steady his breathing and swiftly picks his sword up from the ground, wielding it in front of him in defense. From the corner of his eyes, he sees Obito quietly retreating into the trees and hurriedly calls out to the latter only to realise the thunder might have drowned his voice. Panic fills him at the thought that Obito did not hear him calling and leave him <em>again</em>, but it is quickly replaced with relief as the latter glances over his shoulder.</p>
<p>At that moment, Kakashi finds his vision swirling and the world goes black.</p>
<p>            “Ka-“</p>
<p>            “Kaka-“</p>
<p>            “Kakashi.”</p>
<p>The first thing Kakashi sees when his eyes are open is a very familiar face. He stares for a second before he unconsciously reaches his hand up and cups the face above him gently. His arm feels so heavy and numb, but he feels like if he puts his hand away the image before him would disappear. Kakashi allows his eyes to take in the sight in front of him and slowly traces his fingers along the man’s face- from his forehead and down to his eye before his hand is grabbed and pulled away without a warning. </p>
<p>As if someone just splashed cold water on him, Kakashi instantly sits up and stares at the person in front of him. He feels warmth spreads from where his wrist is held, affirming that Obito really is here and alive.</p>
<p>            “Your head must hurt a lot.” Obito says, letting go of Kakashi’s hand.</p>
<p>            “What just happened..?” Kakashi asks, genuinely confused and tries to stand. He winces at the throbbing he feels in his temples and shakes his head in hopes it would make it go away. He looks around, noticing that they are in what appear to be an abandoned building with a part of the roof collapsed, making a hole and the walls wrapped in tree veins and roots. He also notices that it is not raining. They must be far from where they were.</p>
<p>            “I brought us here.”</p>
<p>            “How?”</p>
<p>Obito does not respond to it and instead sits on the rubbles with a knee propped and his arm over it. Kakashi observes Obito’s movement before he walks to a wall and leans against it, taking a deep breath as he tries to recompose himself. His bag of weapons is still on him, but his sword must have been left behind. Tenzo is going to freak out once he finds the sword without Kakashi around. Sighing, Kakashi slides down and grunts as he brings his knees to his chest. He feels a stabbing pain in the abdomen, but it does not look like it is a deep wound, or a wound at all, as there is no blood or wetness from the vest. Might just be a deep bruise.</p>
<p>            “How are you here...You-you were supposed to be-“</p>
<p>            “Dead?” Obito cuts off, his voice cold.</p>
<p>Kakashi bites on his tongue and stares at Obito. “How did you survive...?” He asks carefully, digging his fingers into his vest.</p>
<p>            “Why? Does knowing it will bring Rin back to life?”</p>
<p>Kakashi feels his heart twists and sink with nerves. Of course Obito would know about that. He tries to figure out what to say but can only dig his fingers deeper into his vest- pressing against his hurt abdomen. The pain helps to subside his nerves slightly and he stares at the ground.</p>
<p>            “I...” What is he supposed to say? That he is sorry? For what? For not keeping their promise? And then what? Is he then going to ask why Obito did not return to the village? To them? To him? His throat feels constricted and he hangs his head low, licking his dry lips. The ringing that has subsided suddenly reappears and he can only grunt in response. Kakashi clenches his fists and looks up, meeting Obito’s eyes.</p>
<p>Obito looks the same as he was- just more mature. He is also taller and admittedly with broader shoulders than Kakashi. He’s a grown adult. Kakashi cannot help but to smile at that. He notices the scar on the left side of Obito’s face, the skin wrinkled yet the eye still working while his right eye is closed. A sense of embarrassment floods his mind when he remembers what just happened earlier: him touching Obito’s face and running his fingers over it, and him in Obito’s arm. Kakashi clears his throat and looks away when Obito glances over.</p>
<p>            “Why didn’t you come back...?”</p>
<p>            “Why should I? You didn’t expect me to come running to a village where I have no attachment left, do you?”</p>
<p>            “There were people who would have been happy to see you.” Kakashi mutters, loud enough for Obito to hear. The latter chuckles before crossing his arms in front of him. <em>You could have been working your way up to be a Hokage too. </em></p>
<p>            “Oh? like who?”</p>
<p>            “Minato sensei-“</p>
<p>            “Hah.”</p>
<p>            “-and me... I would have been really happy to see you.” There is a stretch of silence between them and Kakashi curses at himself for saying something so cringy. As if such words are going to make Obito forgive him for breaking his promise. Rin’s name rings in his ears and he swallows thickly. “I- I’m sorry.” Kakashi apologises, implying to what happened to Rin. He knows that nothing he says will be acceptable. He broke their promise. Nothing he say can fix what happened.</p>
<p>            “For what...?” He hears Obito sighs. The pebbles on the ground rolls towards Kakashi before a pair of feet appears in his line of sight. He blinks once and then looks up to see Obito looking down at him with an unreadable expression. “For what, Kakashi?”</p>
<p>            “...For not keeping the promise.”</p>
<p>Kakashi is oblivious to the way Obito’s eye twitches at his words. He figures saying anything else might agitate Obito and cause him to leave and Kakashi does not want that. He wants to be in the other male’s presence just a bit longer. It has been so long after all. He wonders what Obito has gone through throughout the ten years he was supposedly dead. Was he alone? Did he have someone by his side to keep him entertained? Recovering by himself must have been painful and lonely. Kakashi can only wish he had been there.</p>
<p>A loud crack from above startles Kakashi and he glances up, blinking away when some dust gets into his eyes. He hears Obito grunt under his breath before the latter suddenly drops to his knees in front of Kakashi, taking the former by surprise. He frantically looks above him and then back at Obito and gets worried at the thought that Obito is hurt or in pain. He literally just made a hole in the wall with a punch. He grabs Obito’s hand, about to examine for any injury when instead, finds his wrist in the grasp of the other male in a split second.</p>
<p>            “Hah-“ Obito suddenly laughs, pulling the man closer. “Haha...You know, I was pretty upset- angry even for what happened that night Rin died. I was angry that you failed to keep Rin safe.” Obito tells, tightening his grasp. “I was angry, but I <em>never</em> resented you. Do you understand? I was so frustrated but I could never hate you. I was just, angry. Angry at myself for being so weak and at everyone else for all the bullshits that’s been going on.”</p>
<p>            “Obito-“</p>
<p>            “Listen to me.” The latter cuts Kakashi off, meeting eyes with him. “I hated that Minato sensei was not there to protect you both. He was our mentor. Where the fuck was he when that happen? How could he allow you guys to be by yourselves? That does not make any fucking sense. He should have known how dangerous it was and- fuck! I get so angry every time I think about it.”</p>
<p>            “Minato-sensei was at the frontline, he couldn’t have-“</p>
<p>            “I don’t fucking care!” Obito yells causing Kakashi to wince as the grip around his wrist tightens painfully. “If only I was quicker- if only I was stronger, I could have kept you guys safe-“</p>
<p>            “What are you saying...” Kakashi croaks out, furrowing his eyebrows as confusion settles in.</p>
<p>The way Obito is talking about what happened on that dreadful day sounds as if he was there. As if he knew what happened and saw everything. That is impossible. Kakashi does not remember seeing anyone remotely resembling Obito. He grabs Obito’s shoulder and straighten the male up. “Did you- what are you saying? Did you see everything? Tell me. Did you see it happen? What do you mean by if you had been quicker? Obito, answer me.” Kakashi wheezes, his pupils trembling at the possibilities of Obito actually catching the sight of him killing Rin.</p>
<p>Obito says nothing and instead brings a hand up to Kakashi’s left side of the face. Kakashi flinches when Obito traces a finger along his eye and holds his breath.</p>
<p>            “Sometimes, I can see through your eye.”</p>
<p>As Obito explains what he saw, Kakashi can only sit there in silence. He suddenly feels chills in his bones when he remembers that one time when he saw an image of himself from a different perspective. But that’s not important. What is, is the fact that Obito actually knows what happened with Rin that night. Kakashi feels light-headed and his hands drop from Obito’s shoulders. Obito must have seen how useless Kakashi was. How weak he was to not even notice Rin and how he was so slow to react causing her death.</p>
<p>If Kakashi had been stronger, Rin would still be alive.</p>
<p>He was and is an utter failure and shame- like his father.</p>
<p>Kakashi feels his gut twisting and waves of nausea hits him. Earlier, he was selfishly hoping that Obito would not know how Rin died because at the very least, the male would be less disappointed in him. But to discover that Obito knows everything... Kakashi’s stomach lurches and gurgles. Obito must have been disgusted with him all this time. He must have hated Kakashi so much to the point of wanting to kill him. Maybe the reason why he saved Kakashi earlier is because so he can kill Kakashi himself.</p>
<p>He vaguely hears his name being called and is startled out of his train of thoughts when Obito shakes his shoulders. “What are you thinking?” Obito whispers, keeping his eye trained on Kakashi’s wavering one. Fear grapples Kakashi’s mere existence and he grabs Obito’s arms, fisting the dark blue sleeves with trembling fingers. </p>
<p>            “I am sorry.” He wheezes. “I am so sorry. I am so, so sorry. Nothing can change the fact it happened. I am so sorry you saw that happen. I didn’t want you to see it. I didn’t want you to hate me more than you already have. You can kill me if you want. I don’t mind. I mean that’s why you saved me, right? I deserve to die by your-“</p>
<p>            “Stop.” Obito intervenes feeling utterly flabbergasted. “What are you saying? Did you not hear me? I <em>know </em>what happened that night.” Obito emphasizes, his expression twisting into a look of hurt and confusion. “I knew it wasn’t your fault yet I put the blame on you just to make myself feel better. You.. you didn’t do anything wrong. I told you I saw what happened... You wouldn’t have been able to see it coming.” Obito reasons, shushing the former up every time he tries to speak. His voice softens slightly as he continues; “To be honest, I was angry that you were still running around alive, that there were possibilities of you living your best life after what happened- but I was wrong. I was totally wrong.”</p>
<p>Obito stops and takes a deep breath. The mere sight of Kakashi pleading for forgiveness, unreasonably talking about how he deserves to die makes his gut twist. “Listen, it was not your fault. Do you hear me? It was not your fault. And it’s not like I could be angry or hate you forever. How could I?”</p>
<p>            “But I-“</p>
<p>            “I’m telling you that I don’t blame you for what happened.” Obito says before lowering his head and stares at the ground. “Fuck,” Kakashi hears him curse. “I don’t blame you.”</p>
<p>The both of them remain unmoving as seconds pass and get startled when a loud rumble echo in the building. Kakashi looks up and sees that some part of the sky has turned gray and a moment of realization strikes him. For it to only start to rain, they must be very far from where Tenzo’s and Taichi’s names ring in his ears and he stands up abruptly before walking to what seems to be the entrance to the building. He sticks his head out and looks around him. There is nothing but tall trees here of thick branches and leaves. He can barely see the sky this way. He goes back inside and look through the ceiling hole, noting the direction the clouds are moving to.</p>
<p>They are somewhere between Northwest to North with tall trees and almost no light passing through the canopies, ruined structures. Only one place comes to mind and Kakashi has a hard time believing it. He turns around and sees Obito staring at him. “Where are we?”</p>
<p>            “Why?”</p>
<p>            “I have to go back.” Kakashi answers. He has to go back to his two juniors. He has trusts in them, that they are able to defeat the attackers successfully, but that does not mean he cannot be worried. What if something else happened? As the team leader, he needs to be there.</p>
<p>Obito heaves a deep sigh, looking down. Kakashi observes the way the latter runs his fingers through his hair before putting the mask back up. He feels a chill as Obito’s sharingan glint through the eye slit. “No.”</p>
<p>            “Wha-“</p>
<p>In a split second, before Kakashi can even brace himself, Obito flickers away from his sight and a heavy hit to his stomach has Kakashi bending in pain, heaving for air. He feels his knees give out, his head spinning and through half-lidded eyes he sees Obito catching him.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Obito catches Kakashi’s falling body with his arm. Call him heartless for doing that to Kakashi, but he knows Kakashi would insists on going back to the village and he cannot allow that. Of course he considers there being a possibility of Kakashi telling the Hokage and the elders about him but that is not all. He just does not want Kakashi to leave just yet.</p>
<p>Just a bit longer.</p>
<p>He pulls Kakashi’s body close to him, hugging the passed-out male. Who knew another person’s body warmth would feel this comforting. Obito effortlessly lifts Kakashi up by wrapping an arm under his knees and the other around his shoulder. A drift of air circles them and their bodies appear disoriented before they disappear into thin air. </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Ω</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>A loud gasp breaks out of Kakashi and he immediately sits up. He looks around in frenzy, his eyes strained in the dimly room- no, is this even a room? The walls are not flat, nor is the ceiling. There is barely any light coming from anywhere, but he is still able to make out most of the things around him. Kakashi looks down and fists the thin blanket in his hand. There are loose threads on every edge.</p>
<p>He looks around him, noticing there is not much going on. There are no windows, he does not see any door, a hole nor a gap where he can walk through to come in or out of this place. He glances to his left and sees a bowl of water with a wet cloth and bandages messily left on a wooden table. <em>Bandages...</em> He looks down on himself, noticing that his vest and bag are nowhere to be seen. He rolls his shirt up and sighs at his wrapped abdomen, annoyance filling him at remembering what happened before his world turned black. There is also a patch on his forehead. It probably got grazed when his mask broke.</p>
<p>Taking a deep breath, Kakashi quickly gets on his feet, wincing at the electrifying pain. Obito really hit him with the intention to make him pass out. It hurts so much. He looks around him once again with his eye gradually getting used to the darkness. He glances to his right to see a throne-looking seat few feet away from the bed. Behind it is what appears to be roots- large and thick all tangled and writhing into the ground. He is not at the same place as before.</p>
<p>Is he...underground?</p>
<p>He vaguely hears the wall cracking and turns around, glaring at the figure that emerges from the wall. “Obito.” He calls, having the urge to return a punch. “Where are we?” He asks instead, feeling slightly annoyed when the latter chuckles in response.</p>
<p>            “Is that the only thing you know to ask?”</p>
<p>            “Shut it. Why did you do that?” Kakashi grumbles, his fists clenched.</p>
<p>            “I can’t allow you to go back.”</p>
<p>            “You can’t do that.”</p>
<p>            “Oh, but I just did.” Obito laughs, dropping a bag by the bed. “Are you hungry?”</p>
<p> Kakashi huffs and crosses his arms over his chest before glancing at the big white bag by the bed. He frowns and walks towards it out of curiosity, taken aback at the amount of food there is. “You...you didn’t steal all of these did you?”</p>
<p>            “Kakashi, Kakashi.” Obito sing-sung. “I am hurt that you think I would do something as pitiful as stealing.”</p>
<p>            “Obito, I am being serious here.” Kakashi says only to blush in embarrassment when his stomach growls so loudly it echoes in the – whatever the fuck they are in. He hears Obito snicker at him before the bag is grabbed from his hands. Obito assures him that he did not steal them but in fact paid for them as he hands out the still warm containers to Kakashi. “Are you not going to eat?” Kakashi asks, stopping himself from sipping the aromatic soup.</p>
<p>After a moment of silence, Obito finally says no. He settles at the throne-looking seat and watches as Kakashi fills himself up with warm food. The sight before Obito somehow ignite warmth in his chest and he leans back. He does not take his eyes at all even when Kakashi looks at him.</p>
<p>            “Are you going to sit there and watch me eat?” Kakashi snorts, glancing at the soup in his hand with suspicion. “You didn’t poison this, did you?”</p>
<p>            “If I wanted to kill you I’d have done it in the forest.”</p>
<p>            “Yeah, so why didn’t you?” Kakashi questions with unwavering eye as it meets Obito’s. The latter appears to be irritated by the question judging from the frown on his face. He stands and walks towards Kakashi before sitting across him. With his elbow propped, Obito rests his chin on his hand and stares at the ground.</p>
<p>            “I woke up in this place one day.” Obito starts off, seemingly uncomfortable to actually talk about it. “I was desperate to return to you and Rin, but I was too weak to even move. I figured... if I waited just a bit longer as I go through recovery and strengthen myself up, I’d be able to go back to the village again.” Obito bites his lower lip and heaves a sigh. “On that day.. I was told you guys were attacked. I rushed over but, well...” Obito then looks up and Kakashi feels a lump in his throat. “I know that I said I was angry, but it’s not like I want you to die.”</p>
<p>They hold their gaze before Obito breaks it off by looking away. “I don’t want to lose you too.”</p>
<p>A blanket of silence falls upon them as Kakashi finds himself unable to formulate a response. He does not know how to feel over what Obito just said. He still cannot forgive himself for what happened to Rin, so why is Obito still sitting in front of him as if Kakashi did nothing wrong? Kakashi just finds it difficult to comprehend that Obito does not hate him.</p>
<p>He <em>killed</em> someone Obito loved. He killed his own friend.</p>
<p>            “But I killed Rin.”</p>
<p>            “I told you that you couldn’t have-“</p>
<p>         “I killed Rin.” Kakashi repeats through gritted teeth. “I don’t understand how you can sit in front of someone who killed the person you loved and tell them you don’t hate them for what happened!”</p>
<p>            “That’s enough. I’m not talking about this anymore.” Obito huffs, getting up. He stumbles and falls on his back when he is pulled down by the arm. Kakashi sits on top of him and holds him down by the shoulders. “I don’t understand why you are so hung up over it! Why do you keep ignoring the fact that I saw what happened?!” Obito roars, wrapping his legs around Kakashi and rolling them over so that he is on top of Kakashi now. “Do you want to die so much?!”</p>
<p>            “Yes.” Kakashi sobs, tears pooling in his eye.</p>
<p>He feels so guilty over what happened. Not only did he break their promise, he also killed a friend. It is not something he can forgive himself so easily for. Everyone around him leaves him in the end that Kakashi starts to believe the reason all of that happened is because he is alive. If he dies then maybe others would not be harmed. He knows that Obito is well alive now, but who is to say he will not leave Kakashi in the end?</p>
<p>Kakashi’s breath hitches in his throat when Obito suddenly leans down, their forehead touching each other.</p>
<p>            “I told you I don’t want to lose you too. Why do you insist on making me angry by saying you want me to kill you?” Obito whines, burying his face in Kakashi’s shoulder with his fists clenched on each side. “I know you’d like it if I had appeared in front of you sooner, but I was not ready. I had to grow stronger first. I wanted to get stronger so I can fight alongside you. So that if anything happens, I can protect you.”</p>
<p>            “You could have done it with me at the village...”</p>
<p>            “No.” Obito sternly says.</p>
<p>He removes himself from Kakashi and sits besides him while Kakashi remains on the ground, his eyes glued onto the ceiling. “If I do that, I’d get distracted. Plus, I never had any intention of returning...”</p>
<p>            “So, you refused to see me earlier, you refused to come back to Konoha, you refuse to hate and kill me-“ Obito tsk at the sound of that. “-you refuse to let me go. What then?”</p>
<p>Kakashi glances over to Obito. He cannot see the expression the latter is making since he has his back on Kakashi and so, he sits up only to miss it by seconds when Obito suddenly stands. Kakashi frowns, watching Obito walks back and forth with his arms crossed. His shoulders look rigid, as if he is contemplating over something. For some reason, Kakashi is afraid of hearing anything that is about to come out of Obito’s mouth.</p>
<p>            “...You asked who saved me.” Obito finally says something, breaking the silence. “I’ll tell you then. I’ll tell you everything.”</p>
<p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>(◐﹏◐)</p>
<p>this was pretty dramatic, huh?</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Refusal</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Silence hangs in the air like a gaping void that needs to be filled with sounds, words- anything. The two figures by the bed remains unmoving; one of them held down by shock and the other staring with indifference. The silver-haired male does not know how to react to the things he just heard; Madara Uchiha having saved Obito, the nine tails attack on the village led by Obito himself and finally, the plan to cast infinite Tsukuyomi creating another version of the contemporary world without deaths and violence.</p><p>Everything sounds surreal. Kakashi’s intertwined fingers dig into his knuckles painfully as he feels a lump form in his throat. Images of Minato-sensei and Kushina as well as the village flash through his mind and he cringes. Obito who remains quiet all the while suddenly walks to Kakashi and looms over him. In a gentle voice, he simply tells the former he will be back soon before he disappears into thin air, leaving Kakashi alone with his racing thoughts.</p><p>He feels conflicted. The fact that Obito was the person responsible in leading the nine tails to the village which almost brought it to demise makes Kakashi sigh exasperatedly. So many people died then...including Minato-sensei and Kushina.</p><p>Kakashi tries to reason, telling himself that it must have been because Obito was influenced and convinced by Madara in his weakest state of mind. Obito was in despair and knowing that, Madara must have imbedded ridiculous ideas in his head. Yes, that must be it. After all, Obito is not the kind of person who follows whatever is said blindly. He is stubborn and someone who stands true to himself. <em>Fuck, </em>his head yells. Unfortunately, even if he tries to believe that, what remains a fact is that Obito himself said he was angry at everything associated to the village and believed it was best to get rid of any attachments he had. But to destroy the village? Had everything went accordingly, it would have been a fucking genocide.</p><p>Murdering the innocents... no matter how much he cherishes Obito, he cannot accept it nor will he allow the plan to happen. Kakashi leans back, his head hitting the bed frame with a soft thud as he shuts his eye. Taking a deep breath, he begins to recollect his thoughts. He needs to calm down first. He can try to talk Obito out of it.</p><p>Even now, he still believes that Obito is the same person as he was when they were kids. Even if he had done all those horrible things, somewhere deep inside him surely believe there is a better way of doing things right than carrying out a plan involving death.</p><p>Kakashi remains seated on the ground with his legs crossed and his head hanging low as if the weight of decisions and considerations are weighing it down. He is unaware of how much time has passed until Obito finally returns. The feeling of cold air tickles his face and alerts him that Obito is finally here. Kakashi does not move from his spot as he tries to sooth his nerves. Unfortunately, “Kakashi,” the moment he hears Obito’s voice and sees a pair of feet before him, he tenses up.</p><p>How ironic is it that the leader of an ANBU team, someone who must remain cool-headed, professional and not show emotions no matter what the circumstances are, is evidently nervous?</p><p>Kakashi swallows his nerves and flinches when a hand suddenly grabs his chin, tilting him up. Only then does he realise how close their faces are. At this distance, he can even see himself reflected in Obito’s eye.</p><p>            “You’re thinking about what I told you, aren’t you?” Obito asks and then pauses, appearing to be mulling over what to say next. His eye flickers from Kakashi’s face and then down before it latches back on Kakashi. “Do you hate me now?”</p><p><em>No, how could I hate you, </em>Kakashi thinks. It is a bitter taste to admit he feels disappointed, but it is just impossible for him to hate Obito. He is not going to invalidate Obito’s anger because the man has the right to be so however, he does not agree with the way Obito directs his anger. Kakashi shakes his head, remaining mum to which Obito can only sigh in defeat. He lets go Kakashi’s chin and walks away, putting his mask down and flopping onto the bed.</p><p>            “I asked two questions.”</p><p>            “I don’t hate you, I could never.” Kakashi finally speaks. He looks over his shoulders and sees Obito facing away from him. “…And I need you to rethink about the idea you told me.”</p><p>Obito sniggers. He feels the bed dip and warmth emitting from behind, but does not turn. Kakashi on the other hand can only stare helplessly at Obito’s back. How can he convince the latter? Out of nowhere, there is an almost inaudible sound of wind whistling and Kakashi’s ears perks as he looks around in frantic. At that moment, Kakashi realizes that all this time, his mind has been so focused on Obito that he has lost track of time. What day is it? How long has he been here?</p><p>Oh god.</p><p>            “Obito, how long have I been here?” Kakashi asks with a sense of urgency evident in his voice. His fists clenches upon receiving no response and turns Obito to face him. He sees Obito not making an effort to look at him nor to answer him which puts him on edge. “Obito, answer me.”</p><p>Obito sighs with slight annoyance and says: “What difference will it make if you know?”</p><p>What difference? A whole lot. He needs to get back to the village and warn the others of the impending danger if Obito does not change his mind. <em>And then what? </em>A voice echoes in his head. He goes rigid. <em>Will you tell them about Obito? What happens then? </em>Kakashi’s gaze immediately flickers to Obito. If the village finds out of the things Obito has done in the past, they would not be so forgiving. Obito might be pursued and put into prison, or worse, he might be eliminated on the spot. <em>There is no way anyone would easily believe someone who goes missing for days. </em>That is true. Even if he returns to Konoha, he needs to come up with an explanation as to where he went and what happened.</p><p>            “I...I need to go back.”</p><p>            “What will you do once you know?”</p><p>            “Ugh, Obito-“</p><p>            “Are you going to leave me again?”</p><p>Kakashi paces back and forth after hearing that while Obito who is now sitting up after receiving no answer watches from the bed. His eye follows every movement Kakashi makes and when Kakashi stops and looks at him, Obito feels discomfort rising within him. Kakashi has the look of determination again.</p><p>            “If you don’t want to tell me the time, then let’s talk about your plan.” Kakashi says as he walks towards Obito. “Obito, I cannot allow you to proceed with your idea.” He says as a matter of fact. “I just can’t. Do you know how many innocent people will die from that? No one is going to accept it without a fight.”</p><p>Ah...Obito does not like where this is heading. He had hoped Kakashi would remain in the dark with what of little he knows, but he should have seen this coming. He does not know if Kakashi is rejecting the idea out of sense of justice or because he actually has a soft spot for the people. Either way, none of them will give a good outcome. Moreover, Obito still has no fucking clue as to why Kakashi is so adamant on protecting the village that has been causing him so much pain. Having had his father driven to death because of some fucked up rules should have been enough to help him see where Obito is coming from.</p><p>Kakashi pushes Obito back to the bed when the latter gets up which has Obito looking at him dumbfoundedly. “Let me go.” Obito says, grabbing Kakashi’s hands. When he sees that Kakashi has no intention of doing so nor walking away, he forcefully tries to peel the hands off only to make Kakashi push him down. “Stop this.”</p><p>            “I cherish you. I cherish the friendship we had, albeit it only consisted us having clashing opinions most of the time.” Kakashi quickly intervenes as memories of him and Obito constantly at each other’s throat play in his head like a rolling tape. “But Obito, you can’t do this. Innocent people will die. You told me yourself how ugly wars are and how it is always the weak ones in the most vulnerable position. With your plan taking affect, who do you think would be affected first?”</p><p>            “God damn it Kakashi. Ever since we met all we’ve done is throwing hands at each other, do you really want to do this?” Obito quickly slams his elbow down into Kakashi’s arm causing the male to groan as their position are turned with now Kakashi trapped underneath Obito. “Wouldn’t it be nice to live a life where your father is alive, where you, me and Rin can be together without worrying over some fucked up wars and deaths? The shinobi system itself is flawed! We could fix things.”</p><p>            “None of it will be real...” Upon hearing that and noticing the way Kakashi’s eye reflect disappointment and pain, Obito unconsciously relaxes his grip. “In the end, it’s just an illusion. I would have my own made-up life, you with yours and others with each of their own. In the end, no one will actually be together. How can you seek for something that is not there? Fixing? There is no fixing. We will just merely run towards something that does not exist.” Kakashi’s voice breaks as tears glimmer in his eye. “I don’t want that. If I were given an option, I would choose this life over an illusion. You told me- laid down a fact that the life I have now sucks. It does and there was never a day I never thought of dying. All I wanted was to be with you guys, but-“ Kakashi clutches his chest. “-but you’re here now. You’re alive and I have the opportunity to live my life without regrets.”</p><p>Obito flinches. Kakashi is not crying but the way his body gently trembles make it appears as if he is crying with his body.</p><p>              “Will you take that away from me?”</p><p>As if stuck underwater, Obito is unable to move his lips. That is so unfair of Kakashi to say that. Obito feels his heart clenches and gets off before looking away, his back facing the former. He vaguely hears the bed creak and can tell that Kakashi is coming for him but before that happens, he quickly holds the former down by his ankles. Stretches of branches wriggle their way out of the ground and wrap around Kakashi’s legs, stopping him in his steps. The silver-haired male can only look down with surprise and tries to escape, but is only a second too late as he feels his arms pulled apart.</p><p>            “What are you doing?” Kakashi asks as he is lifted up with both his legs and arms apart into a star posture. “Let me go!” He demands, glaring at the short-haired male before him. Obito says nothing. He gets close to Kakashi and gaze at him for a moment, holding Kakashi’s face still by the chin.</p><p>            “You’d probably leave if I take my eyes off you.” He says, thumbing Kakashi’s lips through the mask. “I can’t let that happen.”</p><p>Kakashi pleads, telling the other male to not do anything brash and that they should talk it out again. With the way Obito stares at him absentmindedly, Kakashi is afraid Obito might do something regrettable. “Obito?” He calls again, softly this time as if he is trying to coax a terrified child out of their hiding. He frowns in confusion when Obito suddenly pushes his thumb in between his lips through the mask and without a warning, leans down. Kakashi feels like his breath gets knocked out of him when Obito plants a gentle kiss on his lips.  “...what?”</p><p>           </p><p> </p><p>
  <strong> <em>Thump, thump, thump</em> </strong>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Obito said: no direct touches during covid (≧ヘ≦　)</p><p>on another note, I'm SO sorry for uploading such a short chapter after such a long time (´д｀、)<br/>A lot has been going on; I had finals, and then I was just...not in my best state...and then after not writing for a while I kind of lost the touch? But I didn't want to wait any longer because I feel like that would just make it worse and I might not end up updating at all. </p><p>So here is a half-assed written short chapter ʕ ಡ ﹏ ಡ ʔ I promise to do my very best for the next chapter.</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Criticisms are welcomed (but please be nice I have a weak heart ༼ ಥ﹏ಥ ༽ )<br/>This was specially done for a friend (also because my life is meaningless and I wanna go back to writing) </p><p>Thank you for reading ∩(︶▽︶)∩</p></blockquote></div></div>
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